A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 188 Mother’s Family

Li Yi was suspended before he officially took office as the director of Fengyi Palace.

But the emperor issued three edicts in one day. Although the first one was to stop the funeral, the second one was to order the repair of a private temple, and the third one was to register it with the Zongzheng Temple.

Li Yi, the former wild man, has now become a member of the royal family.

He was suspended from his post and stayed at home to reflect on his actions, but guests came to his house one after another. At this time, people in Chang'an were also spreading the story of Li Yi's life, saying that he was the son of Li Zhi, the great-grandson of Li Jing, the Duke of Hua.

Sixteen years ago, the story of how Li Zhi broke off his engagement with Zhang from Fanyang and attached himself to Yang Su was brought up, and even how he abandoned her twice when Zhang came to him with her child was spread out.

For a time, people had more sympathy for Li Yi and more criticism of Li Zhi. Even the old matter of Li Jing having an affair with Yang Zhong's maid and giving birth to Li Yuantong, which she denied, was brought up.

The Li family's reputation was even worse.

"It's really like thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. Back then, Li Jing refused to acknowledge the child he had with the Yang family's maid, but who would have thought that later on, the Yang family would gain power, and Li Yuantong, a slave, would also rise to prominence, becoming a minister and a county duke."

"Yes, Li Jing's grandson broke off his engagement with the Zhang of Fanyang, but instead attached himself to the Yang of Hongnong, even abandoning his own son. As a result, this son who he abandoned for sixteen years was now made a founding earl and a director in just six months, and is now affiliated with the Zongzheng Temple."

"That's true. Li Yuantong's son, Li Xiaochang, is now registered in the Zongzheng Temple and has been granted the title of Prince of Yi'an. Li Yi is also registered in the Zongzheng Temple and has been granted the title of Earl of Qianshui County.

The two illegitimate branches of the Tianshui Li family, which were previously unrecognized, have now become members of the royal family. However, they themselves can't even keep their titles."

"It's what he deserves. The Li family has a bad tradition, so this is what he deserves."

In this November,
Li Yi became a hot topic in Chang'an.
Li Zhi originally had people spread rumors that Li Yi was his biological son and that the son beat his father, in order to discredit Li Yi. However, the wind suddenly turned.
Instead, it was Li Zhi who became discredited.
Everyone felt sympathy for Li Yi at first, but later they envied him.

Abandoned at birth, he was adopted by a Taoist priest, and learned Taoism from a young age, traveling the world. After his master's death, he was forced to return to secular life. However, he was able to write the Three Character Classic, offer medicine to the King of Qin to help build the Changwu victory, and then go to Jingzhou to pacify Xue Ju and his son. He also offered the Wude Plow and the Auspicious Golden Potato.

Honors, nobility, and promotions,

In just half a year, he started from scratch and achieved his current official rank. Who wouldn't envy him and admire him?
He also married the daughter of Jingzhao Du family, and his concubines were all the granddaughters of the former county lords.

This is simply a model of life counterattack, something that many people can't even dream of.

Li Yi has endless guests to meet and endless gifts to receive every day.
Most of them don’t know.

"Alang, someone from the Zhang family of Fanyang is here,"

Hearing about Zhang of Fanyang, Li Yi couldn't help but stand up. Wu Yi's biological mother was Zhang of Fanyang.

"I'll go to the gate to greet you personally."

Someone is coming from my uncle's family, but I don't know who it is.

Outside the Wutou Gate,

A young man stood there, followed by an old servant.

The young man looked to be about the same age as Li Yi and was wearing a white cloth jacket.

"Zhang Hao of Fanyang pays homage to Lord Qianshui."

Li Yi invited the guests into the gate and entertained them in the living room in the front yard.

Judging from Zhang Hao's clothes, he looks like a down-and-out scholar, but he is in good spirits and very polite.

After he sat down, he directly revealed his identity.
"My father's name is He. He serves as the Junior Minister of Dali and is also the Duke of Fanyang. Now, he has been ordered to pacify Hebei."

Li Yi had no impression of the name Zhang He.
But the other person's father is a county duke and a junior minister, so why is he dressed like this? I thought he was a poor relative who came to ask for money.

He only brought two bottles of Qixian vinegar as a gift.

It’s not that Li Yi only looked at the clothes and coveted the gifts, he just felt that they were a little strange.

"I'm currently studying at the Imperial College. Having heard of Qianshui Bo's life story, I've taken the liberty of visiting you. May I ask, is Qianshui Yuanzhen the son of Li Zhi and Zhang, the woman he broke off his engagement with?"

Li Yi didn't want to admit that Li Zhi was his father.

"To be honest, Uncle Qianshui, Li Zhi's fiancée Zhang Liuniang was actually my aunt."

Hearing this,
Li Yicai nodded.

Zhang Hao stood up excitedly and bowed to him again, "Cousin,"

Li Yi also stood up and asked, "Cousin, where is my mother now? Is she okay?"

Zhang Hao sighed.

"My father said that Li Zhi's breaking off the engagement was too much, but the Yang and Li families were both powerful, so the family had no choice but to endure this humiliation.

But who would have thought that later on, Sixth Aunt found out that she was pregnant and she insisted on giving birth to the child.

A few months later, a baby boy was born. The aunt wanted to raise the child herself, but the family did not allow it. The aunt had no choice but to send the child to the Li family. However, Li Zhi did not recognize the child and humiliated the aunt. The aunt left the child and left.

After returning, he fell seriously ill and returned to his hometown of Fangcheng, Fanyang. Soon after, he became a monk.

Six years ago, I received the tragic news that he had passed away due to illness.”

Zhang Liuniang died of illness when she was only in her twenties. She would have been in her early thirties now.

Zhang Hao's father, Zhang He, and Zhang Liuniang were not biological siblings, but cousins from the same grandfather. Zhang He's father had served as an official in Qi County, Bingzhou, and later settled there.

When Zhang He was a child, his father was dismissed from his post for offending powerful people. Later, he became ill and was bedridden for a long time. Zhang He was very filial and took care of him, feeding him food and medicine. Every time he fed him soup or medicine, he would taste it first to see if it was bitter.

When he was fourteen, his father died of illness. Zhang He built a thatched hut in front of his father's grave and stayed there for three years.

Their filial piety moved the villagers and even shocked the government. The county magistrate Guo Zhan personally presented a plaque and renamed their village "Zhixiaoli".

Later, Zhang He was traveling with a friend. His friend died of a sudden illness at night. In order not to disturb other guests and not to make his friend sad, he slept with his friend's corpse all night. The next morning, he bought a coffin and new clothes for his friend, dressed the body for burial, and hired a car to carry the coffin back home.

At a young age, Zhang He's filial piety and righteousness were widely known, and even moved Wu Shigui, a wealthy timber merchant in Wenshui, Bingzhou. Wu Shigui had an old friendship with Zhang He's father, so he recommended Zhang He to the court. Zhang He entered the official career,
Zhang He, who rose to the position of Censor, was upright and incorruptible. He impeached many powerful people and was very dissatisfied with Yang Guang's extortion and extortion. After his persuasion failed, he resigned in anger and returned to his hometown to farm.

Later, at the end of the Daye period, Wu Shigui started an uprising and thought of Zhang He. He strongly recommended him to Li Yuan. Li Yuan had also heard of Zhang He's great name and appointed him as a military officer in the General's Office.

Zhang He performed very well and had strong work ability.

In particular, he served as the Shaoqing of Dali and was sent as an envoy to Hebei to comfort the various states. He successfully persuaded Luo Yi, Deng Song and several other counties to submit to the court. For this achievement, he was granted the title of Duke of Fanyang County.

Zhang Hao is two months younger than Li Yi and is also sixteen years old this year. He is dressed simply today, but it is not an act. It is because Zhang He is obviously a fourth-rank Shaoqing and has the title of County Duke, but he is very poor.

In the past, Zhang He's father had been ill for a long time and the family had almost spent all the money on his medical treatment. Zhang He was also an honest official. After resigning, he returned to his hometown to farm. Life was even more difficult at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

It has been less than two years since he followed Li Yuan. Even though he holds a high position now, Zhang He is incorruptible and spends most of his salary on supporting relatives, friends and neighbors.

So today Zhang Hao brought two bottles of aged vinegar, not because he was stingy, nor because he looked down on Li Yi, but because this was all he could afford.

"Is there anyone else in my mother's family?" Li Yi asked.

"Your maternal grandfather was once a provincial governor and also held the title of Duke of a county. My father is now the Duke of Fanyang County, which was the title bestowed upon him by your maternal grandfather. However, he died of illness early.

Perhaps it was because your maternal grandfather passed away so early that Li Zhi dared to break off the engagement.

That incident was a great insult to the entire Zhang family of Fanyang, but the Zhang family had no ability to fight back.

Zhang Liuniang's father died of illness.
The few sons he left behind were not particularly outstanding and could not even inherit the title. They were only minor officials of the eighth or ninth rank.
Facing the powerful Yang Su, who was at the peak of his power at that time, and the Tianshui Li family,

The Zhang family was indeed angry but dared not speak out.

In fact, I have been angry and have said
But the Tianshui Li family didn't take them seriously, and Yang Su ignored the Zhang family.

At that time, there were four ministers from the Yang family in the court.

As for the Tianshui Li family, Li Jing was a Duke, his son was a County Duke, and Li Zhi also had the title of Marquis.

On the contrary, after Liu Niang's father died, there was no one in the Zhang family who had prestige or status.

Because Liu Niang insisted on giving birth to the child,
Later, the Zhang family was constantly suppressed by the Yang and Li families, and many of the Zhang family members suffered.

Li Yi has five uncles, who are now either serving under Dou Jiande, Luo Yi, Liu Wuzhou, or Wang Shichong in Luoyang. None of them are serving as officials in Chang'an or in the Tang Dynasty.

I really don’t know what to say.

On the contrary, Zhang He, who was a side branch at the time, followed the right person. In just over a year, he went from being a farmer in his hometown to the Duke of Fanyang County and the Shaoqing of Dali.

The two chatted a lot.

Li Yi also knew that Zhang He was actually Zhang Daoyuan. He had heard the name Zhang Daoyuan many times and he had a good reputation. His senior brother Sun Fujia once commented on him, saying that he was cautious and smart.

Yu Shicheng, a minister of Emperor Yang, was ordered to arrest thieves. He captured 2,000 people in one go and tortured them severely until they confessed that they were thieves. Yang Guang ordered them all to be executed. Dali Cheng Zhang Yuanji personally interrogated them and found that only five of them had been thieves.
But Yu Shicheng still killed all 2,000 people.

After Li Yuan became emperor, he ordered the confiscation of Yu Shicheng's property and gave his wife and daughter as rewards to his ministers. At that time, He Chou was also impeached by the ministers for deliberately flattering Yang Guang and building Liuhe City and dragon boats, which was a waste of money and labor, so his house was also confiscated.

Zhang Daoyuan took the wives and daughters of the two men as slaves.

But Zhang Daoyuan said that fortune and misfortune are unpredictable, and a kind person should not take advantage of others' misfortune and abduct their children as slaves or concubines. He gave them food and clothing, freed them, and sent them home.

When Li Yi heard this story, he also received Ji, who was rewarded by Li Yuan. She was also the wife of a criminal official. Li Yi felt quite embarrassed compared to Zhang He because he was not as advanced as her.

Unexpectedly, Zhang He was actually his cousin.

He also heard that Zhanghe was very poor.

Not only was he an honest official, but he also used most of his salary and rewards to support his clansmen and the poor.

The Zhang family was very poor, but they often went outside the city to distribute porridge.

Compared with the scumbag Li Jing and Li Zhi, the grandfather and grandson, Zhang Daoyuan is like a saint.

Knowing Wuyi's life experience,

It turned out that his biological father was a scumbag, and his biological mother became a nun sixteen years ago and died of illness six years ago.

Life is unpredictable, and the big intestine is wrapped in the small intestine.

Li Yi was a time traveler after all, so he was not too sad when faced with this news.

I just feel that Zhang Liuniang is quite pitiful, and Li Zhi is even more hateful.

Li Yi invited Zhang Hao to have dinner at home.

The two cousins had a good chat. Zhang Hao had never met Zhang Liuniang, but he knew more about the Zhang family and Liuniang than Li Yi. He even knew more about the Tianshui Li family than Li Yi.

"Li Zhi and Yang's eldest son, Li Song, is also currently studying at the Imperial College."

"Li Zhi now has fifteen sons and thirteen daughters,"

Li Yi was a little shocked when he heard this. How could this scumbag be so fertile?

"I heard that Li Zhi has a mistress outside and more than a dozen illegitimate children." Having said this, Zhang Hao paused, thinking that Li Yi was also an illegitimate child, so he didn't want to continue.

Li Yi asked, "Li Zhi married a daughter of the Hongnong Yang family to curry favor with the Yang family. How dare he take a concubine from outside the family and have an illegitimate child?"

"Li Zhi didn't dare to do that before, but Yang Su died early. Later, when Yang Xuangan rebelled, his wife Yang Shi was saved from being taken into the imperial court only because Li Jing pleaded with the emperor. How could Yang Shi still be so powerful in front of Li Zhi?

After Li Zhi was implicated and stripped of his title and dismissed from office, it was said that he no longer feared Yang. Over the past five years, Li Zhi has taken concubines constantly and even kept several other women in his household, and Yang dared not interfere.

Li Yi's impression of Li Zhi became even worse.

(End of this chapter)